I’ve been doing some writing again lately for Moms Clean Air Force. So glad to be part of their impressive mission. My latest posts cover links between air pollution and autism, and an essay on why I find protecting my children from toxic chemicals to be empowering (if annoying — I’d rather the government truly protect us and I could get back to more fun parenting tasks).

After a few years of mainly working with clients, I’m back to doing some writing for various publications. I’m still loving working with clients, but was missing being a journalist. Check out some of my latest posts on some of my favorite topics (I am microbiome obsessed!):

Self Beat Bloat, Lose Weight, and Feel All-Around Amazing By Making This Change / Five new books center around the one diet trick you probably haven’t tried yet: paying attention to your gut health.

I’ve been looking into rash guards in an effort to wear less sunscreen. Not only is good mineral block (I wouldn’t use chemical block, but if you’re reading my blog you probably knew that already!) expensive, but also I have yet to find one that doesn’t make my face break out. And it’s time consuming to apply sunscreen. But I am pale with light eyes and many moles and have skin cancer in my family, so I need to be careful. The hats and ugly shirts made of so-called SPF fabric I have been wearing for years have been a clunky compromise. I kept waiting for someone in the fashion industry to notice that people–and kids–wanted cute rash guards. Surely there is money to be made here. Well this year the cute rash guards finally arrived. So I wrote about them for The New York Times. Know of other cute versions? Please post in comments. I’m also hoping someone will make one in the USA from recycled materials with “good” dyes and manufactured following Fair Trade practices. Maybe that’s next summer’s article.

I’m still not entirely back up to speed since having a baby in December. Such is life. That said I’m thrilled and delighted to be working with Healthy Child Healthy World. While I’m not back to posting here on my own blog, I am writing over on their blog if you’re in the mood to read something recent.

As of mid-December I’m home getting to know my newborn and working, writing, and posting less (or not at all). I should be back up and running at some point in February. If you send me a question for a Q&A in the interim, I will file it for then.

New Year’s is here and I’m looking for simple ways to green my life. Do you have some ideas?

Thanks,

Ron

Answer:

Hi Ron,

Happy almost New Year! I’m glad to hear about the changes you want to make for 2013. Simple steps add up, especially if we all take them. One easy way to go green is via the food you buy, cook, and eat. In my book The Conscious Kitchen, I have ten food commandments I suggest. Perhaps you will find resolution ideas in them.

1. Eat less meat. When eating beef, seek out and choose grass-fed. Other meat and poultry should be carefully sourced.

2. Just say no to bottled water. Drink (filtered) tap instead. This will save money, too.

3. Buy local organic or sustainably farmed fruits and vegetables. Don’t forget that coffee and tea come from plants, and wine is made from grapes; choose sustainable versions.

5. Always consider packaging when shopping. Choose items packed in materials you can reuse or that can be recycled in your municipality. Buy bulk items instead of overpackaged goods. Always shop with reusable bags.

6. Cook at home. Often. And serve on reusable dishware, not disposable. Clean with eco-friendly products.

7. Avoid plastic as often as you can.

8. Try composting, even if you live in a city, or a house without a yard.

9. Whenever possible, reduce energy use in the kitchen by choosing efficient appliances, cooking methods, and dishwashing practices; don’t leave appliances plugged in when not in use; ask your electric company for alternative energy sources like wind power.

10. Spread the word. Educate everyone you know. Green your office kitchen, your kids’ school kitchen, your friends and relatives’ kitchens. Make noise; together we can make a huge difference.

Now that it is holiday season, our family tends to have a lot of wine. I do try my best to buy organic wine but I have a really hard time finding it. Was wondering if you had some suggestions of where to find some?

Best,

Nancy

Answer:

Hi Nancy,

Glad to hear you’re trying to buy organic wine. Many people tend to forget that wine comes from grapes, and grapes are typically heavily sprayed with pesticides. I agree that finding organic wine can be tricky at times. This is partially because if it contains sulfites (which most wines do) it can’t be labeled USDA organic. Here is an excerpt about wine from my book The Conscious Kitchen that I think will be helpful:

“Organic standards do not permit the use of sulfites, the bacteria-killing preservatives used in making pretty much all wine. Some producers use organic grapes and add varying degrees of sulfites, resulting in wine that cannot technically be certified organic. These wines are often labeled “made with organically grown grapes” and are a good option….’Biodynamic’ is a third-party-certified method and term (Demeter-USA.org) that’s a bit confusing to explain. Basically biodynamic farming shares many tenets with organic farming (no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers are permitted–some people call it a forerunner to the organic movement) but takes it several steps further. Biodynamic vineyards have not only vines but also other plants, trees, and animals, all of which work together as a unified system–this is call biodiversity. “

So when it comes to looking for sustainable wine to drink, here is a sliding scale of what to look for:

Hopefully this will help you locate a bottle or two. You can also always ask questions in local wine stores. There tend to be producers who don’t bother to label their wines as organically produced, and the shop buyers can point you in the right direction. Here is a previous postfrom my old intern, Glenny, about her favorite organic wines that might also be of use.

In the winter I love to burn candles. I think it creates a warm atmosphere at home. But I have been reading about how maybe they’re not safe. I saw something about chemicals in their scents that aren’t good for you. Do you become exposed to these when you burn candles?

-Annette

Answer:

Hi Annette,

Thanks for your question. It’s a good one. You’re certainly not alone, especially around the holidays. You can absolutely inhale chemicals in fragrance, some of which have been linked to hormone disruption, when you burn scented candles, among other pollutants. Here is an excerpt on candles from Planet Home, which I co-authored. I think it will help answer your question.

“Conventional candles made from petroleum emit plumes of soot and phthalate-containing scents. Their wicks can contain metals like zinc, tin, and even lead. If you really like fragrance, non-petroleum-based candles, like unscented beeswax or essential-oil-scented non-GM soy wax versions with cloth wicks, are far preferable to their conventional counterparts.”

I personally have given up on candles, besides the infrequent unscented beeswax one. Beeswax has its own lovely scent–warm and honey-ish. I’d suggest giving it a try.